The owner and manager of the massive container ship that destroyed the Francis Scott Key Bridge last month should be held fully responsible for the deadly collapse, according to court documents filed Monday on behalf of Baltimore’s mayor and City Council .
The two companies filed a petition shortly after the March 26 collapse, they asked a court to cap their liability under a provision of an 1851 maritime law dating from before the Civil War — a common but important procedure for such cases. A federal court in Maryland will ultimately decide who is responsible and how much they owe in what could become one of the costliest maritime disasters in history.
Singapore-based Grace Ocean Private Ltd. owns the Dali, the ship that veered off course and crashed into the bridge. Synergy Marine Pte Ltd., also based in Singapore, is the vessel’s manager.
In their filing Monday, the city’s lawyers accused them of negligence, arguing that the companies should have realized that the Dali was not fit for its voyage and that they should have, among other things, equipped the ship with a competent crew.
A spokesperson for the companies said Monday that it would be inappropriate to comment on the pending litigation.
The ship was heading to Sri Lanka when it lost power shortly after leaving Baltimore and struck one of the bridge’s support columns, collapsing the span and sending six members of the roadworks crew plunging towards the dead.
“For more than four decades, cargo ships made thousands of trips under the Key Bridge each year without incident,” the city’s complaint states. “There was nothing in the date of March 26, 2024 that should have changed that.”
FBI agents boarded the disabled vessel last week as part of a criminal investigation. A separate federal investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board will include an investigation into whether the vessel suffered power issues before beginning his journey, officials said. This investigation will generally focus on Dali’s electrical system.
In their previous petition, Grace Ocean and Synergy sought to cap their liability at approximately $43.6 million. The petition estimates that the ship itself is valued at $90 million and was owed more than $1.1 million in cargo revenue. The estimate also deducts two major expenses: at least $28 million in repair costs and at least $19.5 million in salvage costs.
Grace Ocean also recently launched a process requiring the owners of the cargo on board to cover part of the salvage costs. The company did a “general average” declarationwhich allows a third-party expert to determine the contribution of each stakeholder.
Baltimore leaders argue that the ship’s owner and manager should be held accountable for their role in the disaster, which halted most shipping traffic through the Port of Baltimore and disrupted a major trucking route on the East Coast. The economic impacts could be devastating for the Baltimore region, the filing said.
“Petitioners’ negligence led them to destroy the Key Bridge and single-handedly close the Port of Baltimore, a source of jobs, municipal revenue and resources. not a little bit of pride for the City of Baltimore and its residents,” the lawyers wrote.
Lawyers representing victims of the collapse and their families also pledged to hold the companies accountable and oppose their request for limited liability.
Meanwhile, rescue crews are working to remove thousands of tons of collapsed steel and concrete from the Patapsco River. They have opened three temporary channels to allow some ships to pass through the area, but the port’s main shipping channel is expected to remain closed for several more weeks.
